With its dramatic landscapes, transparently-clear waters and variety of sea creatures, it is essential you add the ‘Island of Priests’ to your bucket list.
Where is it?
Translated from Balinese, ‘Nusa’ means ‘Island’ and ‘Penida’ means ‘Priests’. This represents the island’s historical connection to Balinese Hinduism. It is located in the southeast coast of Bali next to Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan Island. Compared to the rest of Bali, Nusa Penida is incredibly undeveloped which is how it’s maintained its authentic beauty.
How to get around?
Depending on your confidence levels, there are a couple ways to get around the island. The first option is to rent a moped. I rented one right by Banjar Nyuh Pier for 2 days. However, the roads are no wider than a car and the terrain isn’t well maintain so you may find yourself swerving a lot of potholes (and people!). With this said, there is the option to hire a private driver for the day to take you around the highlights of the island. This is a more comfortable and hassle-free option if you’re not too fussed about going off the beaten track.
Where to stay?
If you’re looking for a budget option, Nusa Penida Hostel would be a great choice. These bungalow-style dorm rooms start from £13. Including 2 separate swimming pools, a restaurant and a petrol station (which proved very hard to find on the island), it is only 10 minutes from Toyapakeh Harbour which you can arrange a pick up from with the staff.
Air La Casa is the perfect distance for backpackers since it’s only a 2-minute walk from the harbour. The 6 double-bed rooms are tucked away from the main road and are all provided with an ensuite, air conditioning and free wifi. After an adventurous day exploring the island, you can relax on your private patio terrace with a Bintang in hand.
Imagine waking up, drawing the curtains and gazing out to the turquoise waters. Ogix Cliff Paradise has sea view rooms overlooking the Indian Ocean. With a restaurant, free parking and air-conditioned rooms, this luxury yet budget stay really feels like paradise.
What to do?
In my opinion, 48 hours would be a minimum amount of time to spend here since there are so many activities and sights to visit. Similarly, it is possible to see the highlights of this heavenly island on a day tour.
Kellingking Beach
Easily this island’s biggest draw is the famous T-Rex cliff which has been photographed on Instagram well over 400,000 times. Not many years ago, Kellingking beach was only accessible by boat. However, with a precarious bamboo fence now in place, it is possible to reach the beach if you’re willing to take the very sketchy hike down. It is a 2-hour roundtrip to the white sand beach but the waves are very powerful so I would only go in if you’re a strong swimmer. If the hike down isn’t for you, the views from the top are stunning and there are several platforms you can snap the iconic T-Rex from.
Angel’s Billabong
The beauty of Nusa Penida is that the most perfect parts of the island are still how they were hundreds of years ago. Including the magical Angel’s Billabong. A natural infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean- it doesn’t get much better than that! However, it is only accessible to swim in at low tide and similarly to Kellingking Beach, the strength of the waves will pull you over the rocks so it is advised you don’t get too close to the edge since there have been some fatalities.
Tembelling Pools
If you fancy a much safer choice of rock pool to relax in, perhaps Tembelling Pools are more your style. You could definitely say it’s off the beaten track with a treacherous moped journey down and hundreds of steps to the pools. However, there will be no one trying to sell you bracelets, no crazy tourists and no irritating monkeys scavenging for food. The natural pools are so refreshing and the scenery is just idyllic.
Snorkelling with Manta Rays
Experience a once-in-a-lifetime experience and swim with Manta Rays from Crystal Bay. You can either book with a local vendor on Crystal Bay Beach or online. These majestic yet playful creatures are visible all year round but the water temperatures are warmer from November to June. If you don’t want to get in the water, it is possible to see the manta rays from Manta Ray Viewpoint when the sea isn’t choppy.
Get Your Guide- Snorkelling with Manta Rays
Crystal Bay Beach
Despite the small entry fee to Crystal Bay, it is one of the best locations to watch the sunset whilst soaking up the last of the tropical rays. A lot of snorkelling tours take off here too due to the rich coral surrounding the bay. Including beach shack cafes, temples to explore and sunbeds to rent, you could easily spend the day here dipping in and out of the turquoise blue water.
Broken Beach
Right next to Angels Billabong is a cove with an archway allowing water from the ocean to flow in and out, or more commonly known as Broken Bay. With its unique rock formation, you can walk around the cove with a bird’s eye view of the bay below. The water is so clear that I could see a turtle from 50 metres high.
Where to eat?
Saka Boutique Restaurant is a quiet, underrated restaurant located a couple hundred metres from Toyapakeh Harbour. There are no words to describe their smoothie bowls and breakfast pancakes. Topped with fresh fruits and nutty granola, it was the perfect meal to fuel ourselves for the day ahead.
Happy Eating is an affordable western and Asian restaurant. As you turn left out of Toyapakeh Harbour you’ll find a strip of restaurants including Happy Eating. Even though it looks very simple from the outside, the flavours and presentation were a 10/10.
Neighbouring Happy Eating, Alily Restaurant and Bar brings all the good vibes. With live music every Friday and Saturday enjoy a few cocktails and one of their famous seafood dishes in their aesthetically pleasing restaurant.
How to get there?
If you’re travelling from Sanur, the ferry will take approximately 40 minutes to Nusa Penida. We paid extra to be picked up from our hotel and transported to Serangan Port, which I would strongly recommend because there are so many ferry companies and it can be difficult to know which counter to go to. Luckily our taxi man guided us to the correct desk and was super helpful.
Get Your Guide- Ferry from Sanur with pick up from accommodation.